plastic surgery

noun

: a branch of surgery concerned with improving the function or appearance of parts of the body through reconstructive or cosmetic medical procedures
also : a procedure performed for such a purpose

Note: Reconstructive plastic surgery deals mainly with the surgical repair or restoration of an injured, lost, diseased, defective, or misshapen part or area. It typically involves the grafting of tissue (such as skin or cartilage) from one part of the body to another. Cosmetic or aesthetic plastic surgery focuses on enhancing appearance and includes surgical procedures (such as blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, and breast augmentation) as well as nonsurgical procedures (such as chemical peels and botulinum toxin injections).

Examples of plastic surgery in a Sentence

He needed plastic surgery on his face after the car accident.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 1831, a recent University of Pennsylvania medical-school graduate named Thomas Mutter travelled to Paris, which was then a center of the emerging field of plastic surgery. Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 23 June 2025 Bunnie is now recovering after plastic surgery on her arm — a procedure her father said was made even more risky due to the 3-year-old's lung condition and severe asthma. Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 22 June 2025 Kylie Jenner is getting transparent about the plastic surgery she's done. Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 3 June 2025 The problem for me isn’t, then, choosing to have plastic surgery. Valerie Monroe, Allure, 2 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for plastic surgery

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of plastic surgery was circa 1837

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Plastic surgery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plastic%20surgery. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

plastic surgery

noun
: surgery concerned with the repair or improvement of lost, injured, defective, or misshapen parts of the body

Medical Definition

plastic surgery

noun
: a branch of surgery concerned with improving the function or appearance of parts of the body through reconstructive or cosmetic medical procedures
also : a procedure performed for such a purpose

Note: Reconstructive plastic surgery deals mainly with the surgical repair or restoration of an injured, lost, diseased, defective, or misshapen part or area. It typically involves the grafting of tissue (such as skin or cartilage) from one part of the body to another. Cosmetic or aesthetic plastic surgery focuses on enhancing appearance and includes surgical procedures (such as blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, and breast augmentation) as well as nonsurgical procedures (such as chemical peels and botulinum toxin injections).

More from Merriam-Webster on plastic surgery

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!